A group of Inuit hunters have endured nearly a week of freezing temperatures to block a remote iron mine in northern Canada, in protest at an expansion plan they believe will harm local wildlife.
The blockade, which has sparked solidarity rallies in other Nunavut communities, has also exposed the growing tensions between large Inuit organizations with the power to approve development permits – and residents of the small communities where the impact of such projects is felt.
As of Feb. 5, seven hunters have constructed a makeshift barrier of snowmobiles and sleds to block the runway and service road of the Mary River ore mine and halt operations. Temperatures have dropped to the low -30 ° C in recent days.
It concerns controversial plans by the mining operator Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation to double production. To bring 12 million tons of iron ore to the market, the mine has said it will build a railroad to a port near the Pond Inlet municipality.
But hunters have overcome fears that the expansion could threaten caribou and narwhal populations – two major food sources – if approved.
Map
“Baffinland makes money and we get very little money and we know that money does not return wildlife,” said Tom Naqitarvik in a video in Inuktitut posted to Facebook, CBC News reported.
As the standoff begins its fifth day, 700 workers are stranded at the Mary River site, and the company says the runway blockade means that food supplies cannot be delivered.
“Baffinland personnel have had numerous meetings with organizers, both at the blockades and in Pond Inlet, begging the protesters to move off the runway and allow runway maintenance and flights to resume,” the company said in a statement. “So far, these discussions have not produced any progress.”
Baffinland says mine expansion is critical to keeping its operations in the region profitable. It has tried to allay concerns about the project and says it is confident that wildlife will not be affected by increased ore shipments. The company has also paid more than C $ 2 billion in royalties to Inuit over the mine’s 30-year life.
Under the historic 1993 Nunavut Agreement, which established a number of important Inuit rights over their land, Baffinland is required to enter into a benefit agreement with the Inuit groups representing the residents of the territory.
But the protest has also highlighted the long-lasting tensions between remote Inuit communities and those organizations, which some residents say have lost touch with the challenges of living in remote communities.
After years of feeling overlooked and ignored by decision-makers in the territorial capital of Iqaluit, northern communities are trying to establish their own legally recognized association, said Jerry Natanine, mayor of Clyde River. This new group would have the power to negotiate royalty payments and have more say in projects that could affect their community, he said.
“The decision stems from years of disappointment from Inuit organizations that don’t pay attention to us,” he said. “We have dreamed of being able to create something that could help us take advantage of the development that is going on and lead our own government.”
Many of the groups opposed to the project are not against all mining in the region. ‘My brother and cousins work in the mine. I don’t want them to lose their jobs, ”said Natanine. ‘But the mine doesn’t take our ideas into account. We told them to change the railway location and we would accept it. We said to them, “Take this route instead.” But they just pushed us away. “
Despite demands from those at the blockade for a new royalty structure, Baffinland has said it has no legal authority to negotiate with community groups.
Residents of Clyde River plan to bring supplies to Mary River protesters in the coming days, a trip that can take three days by snowmobile and will require travelers to brave mountain valleys and dangerous stretches of ice.
“At the end of the day, the expansion project was imposed on us. Still, we told the mine clearly and repeatedly that their plans were unacceptable. And they didn’t listen to our suggestions, ”Natinine said. “So now we are fighting for our culture and way of life.”